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Project Reflection
Deep in the Kivath desert, surrounded by sand and untamed nature as far as the eye can see, is a peculiar building that few have entered but anyone who has seen it remembers. It is a massive structure, constructed almost entirely of red sandstone, in a shape that seems to resemble an hourglass. While the tower itself is far from civilization, the elves surrounding the area often speak of the tower as an accursed place that must never be entered. When asked why, they don’t have a clear answer, only that those who enter are generally never seen again. The building itself was once home to the Chronomancer’s Society. Though it was an only a recent event where timelines merged, where heroes and other creatures from a timeline familiar but different form our own began traveling across worlds, the possibility of alternate timelines was something that a group of wizards obsessed with time magic chose to study tirelessly. This peculiar hourglass shaped building was one of their latest projects, and though the wizards have long since vanished, the remnants of their work can still be found. Inside the tower, one feels as though they have stepped into a hall of mirrors. Whether the result of some amazing discovery, sheer madness, or some combination of the two, the wizards who ran the tower covered almost every surface they could with mirrors. Even the floors visitors walk on provide a reflection. Most of the mirrors are completely ordinary while others have bizarre effects. Some mirrors distort the individual’s body, almost like those of a funhouse, but the body of the person looking into the mirror actually begins to take on the shape they are looking at. Other mirrors talk back to individuals, though the person in the reflection generally has a different personality from the individual on the other end. It is said that one mirror even allows the reflections to walk through, but that these individuals in the reflection come from different timelines than our own, but with disastrous results. It is said that out of the corner of one’s eyes, one can see movement in the corners of their eyes, though this is generally dismissed as a trick of the light. Research Notes The following is a collection of research notes that have been recovered. Though they were written in a language that has not been used for some time, efforts to translate them has shown that they may have belonged to Oras, who is believed to be one of the most prominent figures in the Chronomancer society at the time. He makes frequent mention of “Reflections,” which seems to be the name of a particular project. While much of his notes are missing, here is what has been uncovered. “Studying time magic has always made me wonder what could happen if I were to change the past in some way. If I were to go back and, for instance, change what I had for breakfast one morning, what effects would that have on the future? Would everything be about the same, or would even one minor change completely alter the man I am today? And if such a thing were possible, is there another version of myself who did make that different choice and is now living with the consequences? And if such an individual existed, would it be possible for us to become aware of one another? This idea has dominated my mind for the last several years. The Chronomancer’s Society-” Here, this note is cut off. However, another recovered document seems to continue shortly after this previous note was written. “-it’s almost like looking in a mirror. Is the person I see in my reflection truly still me, or are they someone else entirely? Every timeline can be thought of as a mirror, similar to our own, but with very slight but potentially very important differences. Our current goal, is to see what happens if we are able to come into contact with these other timelines.” The following notes are accompanied by diagrams that typically display an individual, believed to be one of the Chronomancers in the tower, standing in front of a mirror. However, where the reflection should be is often a slightly different looking individual. “It was extroardinary! Aprix still isn’t quite sure how he pulled it off, but by using our time magic to peer into the past using the mirrors...we were able to come across an anomaly. Aprix came face to face with a version of himself. For the most part they are identical: tall, lanky...with an annoying voice, but this other Aprix had red hair! Aprix was blond! Even more amazing, this reflection was aware that we were speaking to it! It responded to our questions and, remarkably, we found that this version of Aprix had a different father than the one in our timeline. Unfortunately we could only hold he connection for a while, but we shall certainly try again-” The following pages seem more frantically written. Whatever the Chronomancers were working on was something that they were doing as quickly as possible, obviously using magic to enhance their speed. Their work, thankfully, was still legible. “-I cannot quite put into words what it was like to come face to face with myself. It was like looking in a mirror, but the person on the other side was able to speak back to me. It was as though I was engaged in self-reflection in the most literal sense. I must say, it was nice to finally spend time with someone who shares my passion. Apparently, this other Oras had been doing research similar to my own, and was trying to make a connection with us. The connection was so much more clear, but it still wasn’t strong enough. The other Oras explained that to strengthen the connection between our timelines, more mirrors would be necessary. Once we have done so, he said we could even use our mirrors to travel between the two timelines. I hope I have the honor of going first-” Notes follow the next phase of their research. “Some of the other Chronomancers have begun to complain about how we have placed so many mirrors in the tower. It’s like you can’t turn anywhere without seeing yourself looking back. But such inconveniences are worth it given what we have discovered so far! The other Oras agrees. I find myself talking to him more and more. He is far more understanding than the others. Regardless, Aprix had volunteered to go through, quite eager to meet his other self. Part of me is jealous, but there can only be one person to make the first attempt..and Aprix is more expendable. And it worked! At first our mirrors were solid, but as he reached out and touched one, it rippled as though it were water and he was able to pass through! And it was not a one way trip either. Remember the red-headed Aprix? He came through on our end, offering to help us further our research. Far more pleasant than the man we sent over from our timeline, and knowledgeable!” The following notes are different in tone, and seem to be from Oras’s personal journal as opposed to his research notes. “We’ve come too far to slow down. The Chronomancers worked in shifts, constantly monitoring the mirrors, trying to make contact with more timelines. One fellow woke me up last night, Leon, his face as white as a ghost as he explained to me what he had seen. He saw Aprix, our Aprix, on the other side, screaming for help! He was banging against the mirror, screaming as loud as he could, before something dragged him away. I’ll admit that the idea was frightening, but Leon was the only one who saw it, and the Aprix on our side agreed. We have been working so hard lately. Leon will be given time off to clear his head of such thoughts. Tomorrow, we contact myself again.” The final note is ripped in several places, having been frantically written on the back of what looks like a book on time magic. While the original text is completely indecipherable, the note from Oras is still very much legible. The writing is short. “THAT WASN’T ME! DON'T BELIEVE IT'S LIES-”